Warning: This article contains spoilers for Captain America: Brave New World.

Samuel Sterns’ return to the MCU as the Leader in Captain America: Brave New World has broken a major rule that is followed by every other Hulk-like character in live-action. Tim Blake Nelson first appeared as Samuel Sterns, a.k.a. the Mr. Blue helping Bruce Banner examine his gamma-irradiated blood, in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. 17 years after his last appearance in the MCU’s Phase 1, Samuel Sterns has now returned to the MCU, but his new design has caused a stir among many of Marvel’s die-hard fans.

Captain America: Brave New World could have been mistaken for a direct sequel to The Incredible Hulk, as the Phase 5 movie spotlighted both Samuel Sterns and Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross. Harrison Ford took over the role of Ross, the newly-elected President of the United States, from the late William Hurt, and Ford’s version of the former Hulk-hunting General became the Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World. This transformation was orchestrated by Sterns’ new MCU villain, but while the Red Hulk’s appearance has been praised, Sterns hasn’t been so lucky.

Why The Leader Looks Like That In Captain America: Brave New World

Samuel Sterns Began To Transform Into The Leader In The Incredible Hulk

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Throughout The Incredible Hulk, Edward Norton’s Bruce Banner was in contact with an American scientist known as Mr. Blue, who was revealed to be Tim Blake Nelson’s Samuel Sterns when the pair actually came face-to-face. Sterns had been examining Bruce Banner’s blood, and had replicated a huge stock of it to aid his investigation, hoping to find a cure for the Hulk. Sterns used Banner’s blood to transform Emil Blonsky into the Abomination, but during the ensuing struggle, an open wound on Sterns’ head was exposed to some of Banner’s blood, too.

The Incredible Hulk ended with Sterns’ forehead bulging slightly, teasing his transformation into the Leader. Audiences didn’t get a complete look at his full transformation until Captain America: Brave New World. The Leader’s deformed, brain-like head and enhanced intelligence and probability knowledge were the result of exposure to Bruce Banner’s blood and also Thaddeus Ross’ ongoing treatment of Sterns with gamma radiation. This more-visceral design has caused controversy, as it’s not exactly comic-accurate, but the Leader’s deformities have much darker roots in the MCU.

The Leader Is Unlike The MCU’s “Normal” Hulks

The MCU Has Many Hulk-Like Characters Now

Even though his deformities and abilities stem from exposure to Bruce Banner’s gamma-irradiated blood and raw gamma radiation, the Leader has one huge difference when compared to the other Hulks of the MCU. Marvel Studios now has a large roster of Hulk-like characters, including Thaddeus Ross’ Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World, but all of these other Hulks, except for Skaar (who is of alien origin), can transform back into their human forms when the trigger to their transformation subsides. The Leader, however, can not.

The fact that most of the MCU’s Hulks can switch between human and Hulk form is an important element of their storylines. Characters such as Bruce Banner and Jennifer Walters have struggled with balancing their monstrous alter egos, while Emil Blonsky and Todd Phelps wanted to transform to become stronger and better. The transformation was forced upon Thaddeus Ross, though even he, unlike in Marvel Comics, can switch back to human form. Samuel Sterns is not so lucky, as he is stuck in the Leader form permanently, which contributed to his 16-year-long imprisonment.

Why The Leader Doesn’t Transform Like Other Hulks

The Leader’s Backstory Is Much Darker Than Many Other Hulks In The MCU

The most obvious reason that the Leader cannot transform back into his regular Samuel Sterns form in the MCU is a narrative one. Sterns just wants his normal life back, and this desire allowed Thaddeus Ross to manipulate Sterns for over a decade-and-a-half, forcing him to do work for him with the promise of being let go when he became President of the United States. If the Leader could take the form of a human whenever he wanted, this wouldn’t have worked, but the in-universe reasoning could be far darker.

Perhaps the simple exposure to Bruce Banner’s blood in The Incredible Hulk would have resulted in Samuel Sterns receiving enhanced intelligence, but still having the appearance of a human being. It could be Thaddeus Ross’ extended and inhumane experimentation on Sterns that means he’s stuck in the form of the Leader, as Ross increased the amount of gamma radiation in Sterns’ blood. This would further explain Sterns’ vendetta against Ross in Captain America: Brave New World, as Sterns would want to turn Ross into a monster just as the latter did to him.

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